To Be Saved From Oneself
by Divinely Ethereal
Summary: With Heihachi's adoption of Lee,the bleak life of 13 yr old Kazuya takes an even more dismal turn.Will Kazuya go down the path of selfdestruction,or will that be prevented by a new arrival,a gaijin...and a female,no less?My very first fic,plz R
1. Chapter 1

**To Be Saved From Oneself**

_A/N__ : I do hereby swear that Namco owns exclusive rights to Tekken and its characters._

_Please note that this is my first Fic EVER, so I would greatly appreciate your sympathy_

_and support in the form of reviews._

**Chapter I: The Prince of Darkness Reflects On His Life**

Kazuya Mishima was spread-eagled on his large four-poster bed, surrounded by wealth and opulence. Luxurious

crimson drapings were drawn over his bedroom windows, and rich silk tapestries were affixed to his oak-panelled

walls. He was practically lying in the lap of luxury.

And yet, Kazuya was a world away from all that comfort. He did not appear perturbed by the gathering gloom(for it was getting dark outside), nor did he make any effort to turn on his bedside lamp. In fact, he seemed to be in a

trance. His usually piercing gaze was fixed on the ceiling , and his eyes, strangely glassy, failed miserably in reflecting the inner turmoil behind them.

Kazuya slowly replayed the day's events in his mind. The first of August had passed without incident. His thirteenth birthday had gone unacknowledged. His hateful father, whom he loathed with a vengeance, had been determinedly ignoring him the entire day, a tactic he usually employed whenever he had an unpleasant surprise up his sleeve.

Kazuya slipped his hand underneath his shirt and gingerly traced the scar that defiled his young flesh. Really, he

thought, he should not be complaining that his father had left him alone. For once in his life, Kazuya had not had to

feign sleep as his father barged into his room before dawn, had not had to feel the old man's vice-like grip closing around his wrist, his callused hand chafing his skin, his gruff voice harshly demanding him to get up. But most importantly, Kazuya had not had to endure another one of his father's heated tirades, in which he would curse fate

for giving him such a weakling for a son, lament the loss of his wife and put the blame entirely on Kazuya's shoulders.

Kazuya vividly recalled trying to talk back to his father, once, several years ago. It had been his first and last time.

"You wish that our places had been changed. That I had died and Mother had lived," Kazuya had accused, his voice

ominously calm."Yes, I wish that," his father had promptly replied, with emphasis on every word, his tone even colder than Kazuya's.

Kazuya shifted to his right side with a sigh, his first movement in a long time. His eyes focussed on the chair beside

his bed. Sitting on top of it was a family heirloom that Heihachi prized as much as Mishima-ryu karate, and perhaps even more than his own son. It was a chess set; the pieces were carved out of ebony and ivory, and the chessboard was of deep mahogany inlaid with gold. It had been in the family for many years.

Kazuya smiled ruefully. Chess played as great a role in his life as the intensive training he received from his father.

His grandfather, Jinpachi, had been an undefeated champion, and had taught Heihachi, who in turn passed the knowledge to Kazuya. Kazuya had already competed in more regional chess tournaments than he could care to

remember,and somewhere downstairs, the Trophy Room held evidence to confirm his triumphs.

The Mishima family's obsession with karate and chess greatly inhibited Kazuya socially. When he was not attending school, he was either training with his father in the family dojo, or practicing chess tactics in his father's

spacious study. Being thus incarcerated did have its advantages, however. He was well-occupied, distracted and

did not possess the luxury of wasting time. He had never smoked, drunk alcohol or experimented with drugs.Those were vices he was determined to avoid, and he was surprised and more than a little disgusted at how many 13 year

olds had succumbed to their effects.

Kazuya's thoughts shifted to school, and he sighed again and rolled onto his other side. School was another dimension, and yet it was an ordeal. His cold sarcastic demeanor, and his withdrawn reserved nature, combined

with his extensive knowledge of karate ensured that he would remain friendless. His peers were too intimidated by his

presence. He was unapproachable. His grades had been reasonably good; he was achieving every subject and seemed to have an aptitude for languages. That had changed rather abruptly, courtesy of his father, of course.

Lee Chaolan. Kazuya clenched his fists at the mere thought of him. That filthy little street urchin, that wretched

freak of nature! Kazuya wanted to roar at his father and cuss him for naming the boy "your(Kazuya's) replacement in family and business". The unjustness of it all made Kazuya's blood boil and more hatred suffused his heart.

During the course of the month of June, Heihachi had grown even more distant towards Kazuya. He took frequent

trips abroad, much to Kazuya's satisfaction , who was able to concentrate on his schoolwork. Then, when Kazuya was doing splendidly, Heihachi dropped the bombshell. He brought his new son home, expected Kazuya to treat him as an equal and watched from the sidelines as Kazuya silently struggled to absorb the impact of this latest blow to his dignity.Kazuya, numbed, grew careless and in one fell swoop, everything fell apart; his end of year results were abysmal.

Kazuya grimaced, remembering the beating he had sustained when his father had seen his results. Now on his way

to 8th grade, Kazuya realised that, if his father continued to torment him, he would be sneaking into high school with the skin of his teeth, a thought he found to be greatly depressing. His grandfather, Jinpachi, had stressed the importance of a good education to a young Kazuya, and had made the boy promise that he would excel scholastically."Gomen nasai, ji-sama; I have failed you," Kazuya thought, his eyes shut tight.

Lee, on the other hand, was doing remarkably well. He had been couped up in the Mishima household less than two

months and was already beginning to get the hang of the Japanese language, albeit he still spoke with a heavy Chinese accent. Kazuya was told that, come September, Lee would be starting 7th grade, as he was twelve and intelligent enough to handle secondary school.

Kazuya vaguely wondered whether Lee's intelligence was overrated, or whether there was something wrong with his own intelligence these days. Not that there was nothing wrong with me to begin with, Kazuya thought wryly,

and a snide voice deep in the recesses of his mind declared its approval.

Kazuya let his eyes sweep the room, for lack of anything better to do, and he noticed the bright new gi that lay folded on the chair, underneath the chess set. It was similar to his other gi, really, the only difference being that it had his name in kanji, and the Japanese flag sewn on the back. Kazuya suddenly remembered that he would be

representing his country at the annual Cultural Festival, held at the Tokyo Cultural Centre. He would be starring in two events: martial arts and chess. Heihachi, who usually declined invitations to the Festival, had been eager to accept this time, as it would be Lee's first public appearance. The "appearance" was scheduled for the following

evening, and Kazuya smiled impishly at the thought of Lee making a mockery of himself before the whole world.

For his part, kazuya was unconcerned; he was certain that he would be the victor of any bout, for his father had always disparaged foreigners, particularly Westerners."Gaijins are undisciplined," Heihachi had said disdainfully,"they are flimsy and would crumble easily under pressure." Kazuya smiled inwardly; he would just have to see for himself.

_**A/N: It was really long, wasn't it? Sorry, I hope I didn't bore you. It's a slow start since I had to get **_

_**some things established first. None of the other chapters will be this long, if you don't want them to be.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter II : A Fateful Encounter**

_**A/N: I don't own Tekken.**_

_**Sorry for the late update!**_

_**Plz R&R!**_

_Tokyo Cultural Centre_

Kazuya Mishima elbowed his way through crowds of people sporting numerous colours and speaking in countless tongues. He soon fell into step beside his father, who was taking quick lengthy strides, seemingly unperturbed by the sea of people. Kazuya smirked as he looked over his shoulder and saw how far behind Lee had fallen. The smaller of the two boys was struggling to catch up, and when he finally emerged from the crowd, he was in a dishevelled state.

_Not a very promising start,_ Kazuya noted snidely.

The two Mishima boys were dressed alike for the occasion: T-shirts, jeans and sneakers, and carried gym bags containing their gi-s and other fighting gear. Kazuya smirked yet again; he could not imagine, for the life of him, Lee lasting more than a minute in an arena. Unbeknown to him, however, it was Lee's extraordinary fighting prowess that had led Heihachi to adopt him in the first place.

When they reached the busy registration booth, Kazuya and Lee had to wait for their turn to be handed their participants' passes by the harassed looking lady in charge, while Heihachi waited for them with his arms folded. When the procedure was over, they made their way back to their father and were surprised that he was not alone.

Heihachi was standing to one side, conversing with a man Kazuya had never seen before. _You're such a hypocrite, Father!_ Kazuya wanted to roar. Heihachi had always disliked foreigners and disparaged them, and yet there he was, making small talk with a man who was obviously a _gaijin._

While Heihachi was decked out in traditional Japanese garb, the colour of which matched his thinning grey hair, the stranger was well-dressed in the prevailing Western style, his thick, flaxen-blond hair neatly slicked back. Kazuya was amused at finally seeing a man who was as tall and broad-shouldered as his father.

Heihachi noticed his two sons coming and put on an artificial smile." Ah, there you are! Boys, this is Sir William Arnholt, newly appointed English Ambassador to Japan. Arnholt-sama, these are my two sons, Kazuya and Lee."

The man smiled graciously, and shook hands with each of the Mishima boys in turn. He had a surprisingly strong grip, Kazuya noticed, and when he spoke it was in cultured, flawless Japanese, as was probably dictated by his position.

" Pleasure to make your acquaintance, boys." He directed his next words at Kazuya," Mishima-sama tells me you are a chess prodigy and a formidable fighter." Kazuya had no response to this; he was startled that his father, who never saw eye to eye with anyone who approved of his eldest son, would be praising him now.

The man's sharp, cerulean-blue eyes swept the Mishima boys as he said, " My daughter, Katherine," and indicated the girl standing quietly by his side. Lee smiled at her, as his hand instantly flew to his untidy silver hair, while Kazuya merely gave her a curt nod.

The girl's appearance was not endearing to the older Mishima boy. He perceived her as this diminuitive, insignificant thing with loose fair hair that combined with her palor to give her the look of a drowned person. She was wearing a red blouse and a white skirt, and Kazuya was tempted to consider her three years his juniour, but the hard little apples poking out of her chest convinced him that this wasn't the case.

_Another runt, another freak of nature,_ Kazuya found himself thinking._ She and Lee are just perfect for one another._

XXXXXXX

Kazuya sat there, waiting for his opponent's next move, aware of the crowd's eyes on him. His own eyes strayed to the spectators to settle on Lee and the girl called Katherine, who were sitting side by side and chatting animatedly. Lee must have just said something highly amusing, as the girl was laughing, her head tilted back.

Kazuya absently moved a knight in response to his opponent's move, then inwardly cursed himself for his carelessness, as the opponent's queen quickly took it. He gritted his teeth and focussed his mind back on the game at hand.

XXXXXXX

Lee was a swift and agile fighter, but he was quickly defeated and eliminated, much to Kazuya's satisfaction, by the young Tae Kwon Do prodigy, Baek Do San. As Kazuya made quick work of the Korean, he noticed that Lee had not returned to watch this match, and that the English girl was also absent.

XXXXXXX

Kazuya wandered the sprawling maze of the Tokyo Cultural Centre on his own, looking for the exit where he was supposed to rendezvous with his father. He had won all his matches, but instead of sheer satisfaction, he felt sheer irritation, and had unceremoniously dumped all his trophies and prize money into his gym bag. He suddenly heard footsteps ahead, and he went deathly still. It was her.

Katherine Arnholt had obviously just finished with her own performance. She had not changed from her skimpy ballerina outfit, and was carrying a large bouquet of roses, her pale face flushed and her hair drawn up in a tight bun, the strands that had come loose plastered to her forehead with sweat. She uttered a faint " Oh!" upon seeing him.

" You're Lee's foster brother," she began breathlessly in Japanese, treating him to a smile.

" I know I am," Kazuya replied with a faint sneer.

The girl's smile wavered, but she chose to ignore his sarcasm. " So, umm, you do understand my Japanese..."

" Hardly," and he paused, before taking her by surprise by abruptly switching to English. " A five-year-old can speak better."

The girl's expression instantly hardened, leaving no traces of her former serenity. " You know, Lee did tell me you're one nasty piece of work, but I didn't think you'd be such a prat!" She said all this in rapid English, and Kazuya inwardly winced at her haughty, imperious tone. No-one had ever addressed him that way; it was apparent that his scornful remarks would never break this girl, so he resorted to Plan B: intimidation.

He took several steps forward, so that he now towered above her, and hissed dangerously in her face," Anything else you'd like to say?"

She did not flinch. " Not to a git as foul as you! And don't you take that tone with me!" And she stormed off, pushing past him as he tried half-heartedly to block her way. Kazuya felt a grim satisfaction as he watched her leave in a huff, but it was soon replaced by an almost overpowering feeling of listlessness.


	3. Chapter 3

**ChapterIII: First Day(1)**

_**A/N: I don't own Tekken or its host of characters.**_

_**Please R&R...**_

_Late August_

Kazuya sat in Heihachi's swivel chair, looking about the spacious office. He sighed, turning back to reread the official documents before him; the products of his snooping around his father's study. The papers bore the crest of the prestigious school that Kazuya attended, of which his father was part Owner and Governor. He had at first mistaken them for Lee's registration papers, but that was not the case.

They were school forms recommending the induction of a new candidate into the 8th grade, more specifically, into Kazuya's section. This particular candidate seemed to have achieved excellent grades so far, and to have passed the Entrance Examination with flying colours. They also seemed to possess an " unblemished record" and a " superb conduct". The School Governors had not hesitated in signing their approval, including Heihachi himself.

Kazuya wracked his brain for an expression he had once read. What was it? Yes:_ The irony of fate._ He tossed the papers away with ill-disguised contempt, the source of his revulsion permanently etched into his mind:

_" Candidate's Name: Katherine Elizabeth Arnholt"_

XXXXXXX

_September 1st_

The fair-haired Katherine Arnholt was an odd sight among the sea of raven-haired students, but then so was the silver-haired Lee Chaolan. She arrived fifteen minutes before the first bell, and dutifully took her preassigned seat, pulling out the books in preparation for her first lesson ever. She did not speak to Kazuya, who was perusing a book two seats away, nor did she give any indication that she had even noticed him.

XXXXXXX

8A's first period was Mathematics, the most boring subject to be devised by mankind, in Kazuya's opinion. The teacher droned on about how they were expected to cover the Geometry 2 course for about ten minutes, and then took the students off-guard with a question pertaining to their first lesson.

" So who can tell us the statement of the Pythagorian Theorem?"

Kazuya was stumped by the question, as was everyone else. He looked furtively to his left, and saw, to his surprise, that Katherine Arnholt's hand was raised, her textbook untouched.

" Yes, Miss Unhort?"

Unfazed by the mispronunciation of her name, Katherine rapidly launched into the answer." The Pythagorian Theorem states that , in a right triangle, the square of the length of the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares of the lengths of the other two sides."

There was a pause as the class attempted to process this information. Kazuya, who had not understood a single word, took the opportunity to riffle through the textbook in search of a satisfactory answer. _ Kami, what an insufferable know-it-all!_

XXXXXXX

During the course of the following periods, Katherine Arnholt continued to demonstrate her sheer academic superiority to the rest of the class, including an increasingly irate Kazuya Mishima. But this was gaining her a lot of unwanted attention. For instance, during history class, one of the class bullies did a cruel but accurate imitation of her practically jumping up and down in her eagerness to answer a question. This was met by appreciative laughter, and even Kazuya smirked.

Another incident occured in the English class, when one of the students had deliberately read the word "election" as "erection", eliciting gales of laughter from the rest of the boys. Katherine had corrected the boy, oblivious to the hidden joke," It's _election_, not_ erection_," which had resulted in more laughter. For his part, Kazuya was unamused._Bunch of clowns._

XXXXXXX

" And then they all started giggling like children," Katherine said. She had just finished recounting her morning to Lee, with whom she was sharing a table, during the lunch hour.

" Toilet humour, Kathy," Lee replied, with sympathy. He was an outsider too, and his morning had been far from perfect.

" Hey, homo," Both Katherine and Lee looked up to see Takashi Misaki, the worst 8th year bully, passing their table with a loaded food tray. He leered at Lee, who glared defiantly in response. Not liking this act of rebellion, the bully proceeded to " accidentally-on-purpose" drop his tray and its contents all over Lee.

" Oops, slipped right through my fingers!"

Katherine was on her feet in an instant, her eyes flashing.

" Whoa! Homo's got himself a fangirl! So what are you gonna do, fairy princess? Put me in detention? Report me?"

Lee grimaced in his seat." It's all right, Kathy. He's not worth your time; I'll deal with him."

" Say that again, homo!" And the older boy lunged at Lee, but was blocked by Katherine, who aimed a sudden ,lightning-fast punch at his face, knocking the unsuspecting bully off balance. Not giving him a chance to recover, Katherine seized her own tray and dumped its contents over her fallen nemesis.

Cheers erupted all around, muffling the groans and curses of Misaki's supporters. Katherine blushed, unconsciously rubbing her bruised knuckles. She smiled shakily at Lee." Surprisingly, that felt good."

" Not good,_ excellent_!" Lee exclaimed, grinning." Great reflexes!"

Katherine's smile evaporated, to be replaced by a grim expression. " I never imagined there would be bullies here too..."

XXXXXXX

_**A/N: Did Lee seem somewhat weak or wussy? That's not how he is; it's his first day of school, and he sticks out like a sore thumb, so he gets singled out by the bullies, that's all.**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter IV: First Day(II)**

_**A/N: I don't own Tekken. Thanks a ton, CII & SPD!**_

_**Katherine Arnholt's character is homage to Hermione Granger, just as Kazuya's character is homage to Dragon Ball Z's **_

_**Vegeta. I must say Hermione's one of my favs; I feel I have lots in common with her. I like to be top of my class( that's on my like list in my profile), I'm Class Prefect(since sixth grade), I love to read(profile), and my hair is also like hers. I also used to suffer in school the way Katherine did. In 10th grade, I hit a boy(slapped him, actually) for framing me for a prank he pulled on the English teacher, who put me in detention. That didn't "feel good", as the boy hit me back, lol.( yes, I live in a place where boys can get away with hitting girls.)**_

_**Anyway...**_

Grades 7B and 8A were supposed to share double PE directly after lunch. Kazuya Mishima, however, had no intention of making it to the lesson, as he considered it a complete waste of time. Katherine Arnholt, on the other hand, had more private reasons for not attending PE. She obtained a note of exemption from one of the school nurses, handed it to a supervisor, then went to wish Lee luck, and watched as he departed with a heavy heart.

Katherine took full advantage of her free periods. She got all her homework done, then went to find the school library, intending to look about the literature section. After taking several wrong turns, she finally arrived at the library, and lo and behold, Kazuya himself was just leaving it. They met at the entrance.

It was hard to say who was more surprised, though Kazuya managed to conceal his shock through his narrowed eyes and perpetual scowl, his hand shifting to conceal the title of the book he was holding.

Now that they were this close, Katherine found herself sniffing him suspiciously. He reeked of hair gel, and she frowned as she took in his sleak, spiked hair.

"That's against the school's dress code, you know," she began conversationally, unable to ignore him any longer." Boys should have ' classical haircuts-no dyes or styling products.'" Kazuya rolled his eyes; had this girl memorized the list of school regulations, all one hundred and twenty of them?

" Now would you please let me through?" she went on irritably.

"No." His even tone was as challenging as his answer. He had been in a foul mood the entire day, and this girl had everything to do with it, so he was determined to make her suffer for it.

Katherine sighed, and attempted to push past him, but he held his ground. She tried again and again, but each time he blocked her with apparent ease. She gritted her teeth; her monthly cramps had been coming and going all morning, but they now manifested themselves in full force. She knew she should have asked the nurse to give her something for the pain.

Kazuya saw the vestiges of strength fade from her blue eyes, and smirked in triumph; she seemed on the verge of tears.

" Run along to Daddy now, little _gaijin_, and tell him I'm being a "prat" ," he said mockingly.

"I won't. I shan't give you the satisfaction," she said quietly, still struggling with the pain, of which he was unaware.

" Oh, but you will; you're Little Miss Perfect, arent you; Daddy's precious little brat." Through his contemptuous tone, she could make out a great deal of resentment and bitterness.

" I'll tell you what I _will _do, " she said, gathering her strength for a final offensive." I'll write to _your _Dad and tell him you're being a jealous, little-" Katherine did not go further; the expression Kazuya wore was frightening; she thought for a moment that he would surely hit her, but he stayed stock still, the muscles of his left cheek dancing with subtle twitches.

" Kathy!" It was Lee, walking down the corridor towards them. Kazuya strode off as soon as Katherine's face was turned.

XXXXXXX

Lee was still in his gym shorts, his shirt was soiled and he was carrying a pair of muddy trainers.

" What happened to you, Lee, and why aren't you in class; there's still around an hour left to go.

" I was sprinting down the trackfield, when two of Misaki's sidekicks thought it would be funny to knock me down into a mud puddle. I pretended to have hurt my ankle so I could get away in one piece."

Katherine made an angry, cat-like hiss. " Wish I'd been there."

" Then I was ambushed in the locker room. One of them tried to force my head down a toilet."

Katherine put a hand to her mouth in shock.

" I said _tried_, Kathy. I fought him off and he ended up where I was intended to!" Lee said, grinning.

Katherine sighed in relief." I hope you don't get into trouble for it."

" I didn't do anything; gravity did it for me, but since you mentioned trouble, I do have bad news, Kathy. Headmaster wants to see you in his office. It's about the Misaki thing. Don't worry, I'll support you."

Katherine's heart sank like a stone. _If Daddy finds out..._

" It's all right, Lee. I think i can handle it."

XXXXXXX

" I'm disappointed, Miss Arnholt. Your record from other schools have shown you to be a rational person, but your actions here..."

Katherine looked up at the Headmaster, then at his secretary who was jotting down everything being said like a court scribe." Is this necessary, sir?" she asked, indicating the secretary.

" School protocol, in case the School Governors show interest in a particular case."

Katherine looked down at her lap. The pain had abatted, at least for now, so her mind was clear.

" Was reporting to a prefect the "rational" thing to do? With all due respect, sir, if I'd counted on a prefect's help, Lee could have been seriously hurt, or he could have been the one sitting here in my place being scolded just because he'd exercised his right to defend himself against physical aggression!"

The Headmaster gave Katherine a half-scorching, half-admiring look. " You're so sharp-tongued, you should consider being a lawyer, Miss Arnholt."

" Thank you sir, but I'm reinforcing the truth, not twisting it around."

The Headmaster frowned." Witnesses say you dropped your food tray on Takashi Misaki; is that part of ' exercising the right to defend oneself'?"

Katherine glanced back at the secretary and bit her lip." I'd say that's part of Hamurabi's " an eye for an eye", sir."

A long pause ensued. " Very well; that's it for now. I think the School Governors would be very interested in reviewing your case, Miss Arnholt, and then they would deliberate over your punishment. Your father will be informed of the incident."

XXXXXXX

"How'd it go?" Lee asked, frowning at Katherine's palour.

"Fine, really," she waved a hand nonchalantly.

" Well, he'd never expel you or anything! Hey, what were you and Kazuya saying back there?"

XXXXXXX

_Evening, Arnholt residence_

Katherine was busy practicing Beethoven's Moonlight Symphony, something she often did at this time of the month, when her father came in, carrying an envelope and an official looking paper. Katherine's blood ran cold, for she recognised the school's crest on the envelope, and she braced herself for her father's admonishment.

" Katherine," William Arnholt began, frowning." I just received this from the school. It says here that, on account of your actions today, September 1st, the School Governors saw fit to-"

_Here it comes!_

"- award you the position of Assistant Director to the Student Life Organisation."

_What?!_

" And here is a separate note from Mr. Heihachi Mishima himself," her father went on, extracting another paper." He writes: " Your daughter has made an excellent argument for her actions, and those latter ones have shown that she has more backbone than ten men"." He looked up at the girl. " Katherine, why would they be giving you a postion reserved for senior students? What's all this about?"

XXXXXXX

_Mishima Residence_

Kazuya sat in his room, his back resting against his bedstead, toying with a chess piece. Without glancing up, he said," Lee, is there a reason why you're lurking just outside my room at this time?"

A moment's pause, then Lee stepped into view. He wore a determined look on his face, for after what he'd been through today, Kazuya suddenly seemed like a docile cat.

" Yeah, I just wanted to know why you were being rotten to Kathy today, that's all."

Kazuya sneered." ' Kathy' now, is it? I've been telling myself from the start that you two outcasts would be perfect for one another."

" What ticks you off about her, exactly?" Lee asked, ignoring his older brother's sarcasm.

" Everything, basically, including that a miserable little wretch like her is even allowed to exist. You know, I think her father would be better off digging a hole and crawling in it to die from all the shame she brings him."

Lee's pale eyebrows rose, and he let out a sharp intake of breath. " You know, I think it's the fact that she's a much better person than you and has a much better father that really gets to you. " Kazuya's eyes narrowed considerably, but otherwise he did not react. "And you shouldn't be rude about her father either, because he was all over you when we met, saying how talented you were, " Lee paused for breath." And he didn't even notice me!"

"That's because he _couldn't see you_, idiot! Human eyes aren't meant to detect translucent freaks like you!" He paused, letting the words sink in, " Then again, all that food spilled over you today would have given you a bit of colour". He smirked." You must have looked quite the spectacle."

Lee clenched his fists, but Kazuya did not notice; he seemed rather bored. " If that's all, Chaolan, then you can remove yourself from my door." Lee shook his head at his brother's attitude, and turned to leave, but Kazuya had one more thing for him.

" Oh, and Chaolan, what happens at home, stays at home."

Lee froze with his hand on the doorhandle; he did not like the underlying threat. " Don't worry; I never told Kathy anything about what goes around in this hellhole."

Only when Lee had left and shut the door behind him did Kazuya stir. " _liar_," he breathed.

XXXXXXX


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter V: The Truth About Katherine Arnholt**

_**A/N: Namco still owns Tekken. **_

_**Sorry I couldn't get this chapter **_

_**out any sooner. Plz, R&R !**_

" Guess who's been made Assistant Director of the SLO?"

" Yeah, that new girl; the one hanging around that silver-haired kid."

" Oh, Riyo's so gonna be pissed!"

Kazuya seethed; his father had done it again. Heihachi had not been satisfied with adopting Lee Chaolan. No, he had to "motivate" him further by forcing this _gaijin _ upon him as a superior who would be bossing around throughout his entire school career, no doubt.

Despite the authority bestowed upon her, Katherine Arnholt was in for a very rough start. It seemed that Takashi Misaki was very eager to settle his score with her, and had planted grisly things like rat guts and frog liver in her locker first thing in the morning. Her high-pitched scream was heard all over the school building, and when Lee rushed to her aid, Kazuya stuck his foot in his path and smirked as his brother tripped and fell head over heels.

Katherine's ordeal was far from over. A senior called Riyo Kanzaki had developed a deep grudge against her overnight. She was the daughter of one of the School Governors, and had been the most likely candidate for the position Katherine now held. Thus, she used her influence and popularity to wage a cold war on Katherine, who found herself shunned by almost everyone. No-one would speak to her for fear of Riyo's wrath.

Kazuya would study Katherine carefully whenever he had the opportunity. Had her nerves been frayed yet? Was she about to snap? With Takashi Misaki on one front, and Riyo Kanzaki on another, and a demanding job in between, Kazuya imagined the breaking point had to be close. He sulked some more, adding Katherine's tenacity to the long list of reasons why he despised the girl.

XXXXXXX

As the week progressed, Katherine saw less and less of Lee, not so much due to her busy schedule than to the fact that Lee was beginning to forge bonds with his own classmates. She would see him exchanging jokes and anecdotes with the rest of them, and she would feel relieved that he had managed to fit in. You could imagine her shock, therefore, when she stumbled into an unused classroom during lunch on Thursday, only to find him there, smoking.

Lee instantly discarded the cigarette. " Kathy, I... I can explain..." he stammered.

Katherine's jaw was set, her arms folded. " So this is what you have to do to fit in with your 'friends'," she said coldly." Never took you for the type to succumb to peer pressure, Lee."

"It's not like that, Kathy... They.. they dared me..."

Katherine scoffed at him." You were playing a game of Truth or Dare?!"

" No.. we were just pulling stunts, and I... I'm sorry, Kathy.." he finished lamely.

Katherine hissed vehemently," I can't believe this of you Lee; I should report you for that!" She turned away from him. " This is your last chance!"

" It won't happen again, Kathy..." He looked around for a change in subject." So, um, did you make it to the ballet team?"

"No.."

" How come? you're a great dancer!"

" Never mind!"

Her defensive response made him suspicious. " Is it because _she _wouldn't let you join? Kathy, you shouldn't let her do this to you! You should tell someone!"

"No!" She took several shaky steps back and beat a hasty retreat, leaving a guilt-ridden Lee in her wake.

XXXXXXX

Kazuya smirked. Takashi Misaki had a bone to pick with him, all because his father, another School Governor, had failed to get Heihachi Mishima to expel Katherine Arnholt for Monday's incident.

" You people are so full of yourselves! You think you can boss us around and get the whole world to run the way you like!"

" We're Mishimas; that's what we do."

Misaki charged Kazuya, but the moment he touched him, he drew back with an agonized cry, as though he had received an electric shock.

Kazuya smirked again, and bent to retrieve the shiny gold locket that fell out of Misaki's pocket. He flipped it open to reveal the picture of a fair-haired man and a little girl sitting comfortably on his shoulders, both laughing happily. His smirk faltered; this pendant reminded him of his own locket, snatched from around his neck by his cruel father when he was but a helpless child.

" Well, well, Misaki; looks like you enjoy collecting girls' trinkets," he said, addressing the fallen bully. " And you claim _Chaolan _is gay?!" He raised his eyebrows in mock disbelief.

Just then, Lee called out from the other end of the corridor," Hey, Kazuya, can I talk to you for a second?"

" If it really is a second , Chaolan, " Kazuya sneered, pocketing his prize.

XXXXXXX

" It's Kathy," Lee began hesitantly." She's being bullied, Kazuya."

Kazuya rolled his eyes. " What was your first clue, idiot?"

Lee ignored this." By that girl, Riyo Kanzaki. I think it gets physical."

" And what would you have me do? Leap to the rescue of the damsel in distress? Hmph, I was under the impression that _you_ were her knight in shining armour..."

" This isn't funny, Kazuya!" Lee chided. " You know, it's all your fault Kathy has to go through all this!"

Kazuya stopped walking, and Lee took a few steps back in case his brother decided to hit him. He ploughed on," Everything's been about you all along. Father never liked me; he just adopted me to make you shape up. Same thing with Kathy. He doesn't give a damn about her, so long as he can use her to get back at you!"

Kazuya sneered. " Caught on, haven't you? I'm glad your head isn't all sawdust."

He pushed past him as the bell rang.

XXXXXXX

Katherine's breaking point came on Friday morning. They had a maths lesson, and halfway through proving a theorem on the blackboarad, she collapsed in full sight of everyone present. She was taken to the school infirmary, and both Kazuya and Lee found themselves eavesdropping on the doctor's conversation with her father, during morning break.

" She's been roughed up. Bruises on her arms, and signs that her hair was pulled..."

_I told you so,_ Lee mouthed silently at Kazuya.

They continued to listen to the doctor's diagnosis. " She's suffering great stress. I think whoever hurt her has triggered some sort of... repressed memory, from early childhood. That's why she's being unresponsive, but otherwise she's fine. I think we should check her into a paediatric hospital, just to be safe."

Kazuya frowned. _Repressed childhood memory?!_

XXXXXXX

_Mishima Residence_

Kazuya ransacked his father's study. As a School Governor, Heihachi had access to all the paperwork pertaining to the students and their families. Kazuya found the file on Katherine, and one document in particular caught his attention.

_Official Certificate Of Adoption_

Kazuya scanned its contents, then put it aside to peruse other documents. According to an old police report he found, a little girl no more than four or five was found abandoned in a park, somewhere in Sothern England. The child was amnesiac and bore unmistakable signs of abuse. She spent the next few days moving from one foster home to another, until she was finally adopted by Sir William Edward Arnholt, to be rechristened Katherine Elizabeth.

Kazuya put the papers away, fuming. Heihachi must have found the girl's traumatic past rather attractive; that was why he chose to pit her against his eldest son. Kazuya had a sudden mental image of his father sneering coldly at him._ What, son, you say you've had it rough? Look at your brother, look at that girl! And see how they've now become better and worthier than you'll ever be in your life..._

XXXXXXX

_Tokyo Paediatric Hospital_

Katherine Arnholt was slightly anemic and very much exhausted from her stressful first week. The doctors insisted that she was otherwise fine, that they merely wanted to keep her overnight for observation, and that they would be sending down a child psychiatrist first thing in the morning to get her to open up about her fears.

Kazuya sneaked into her room after visiting hours, and stared at her as she slept off the effect of the sedatives. She looked pale and vulnerable, with her long fair hair fanned out on the pillow. So small and helpless did she seem, that Kazuya, the left side of his face twitching, reached for her neck.

_A twist to the left, a twist to the right, a satisfying crack, and she would be wasted..._

That voice in the innermost chamber of his mind egged.

The girl suddenly stirred, whimpering in her sleep,"_Daddy..._"

That put a stop to Kazuya's murderous intent, and when his facial convulsions passed, he proceeded to do what had initially been on his mind. He placed Katherine's locket on her bedside table, along with the notes from the lessons she had missed in school, and quickly left the room.

Truth was, Kazuya would never know what Katherine had been through, and for that matter, neither would she, for she was living a lie, courtesy of her adoptive father, a sweet one no doubt, but a lie all the same.

_And I envied her for it..._

XXXXXXX


End file.
